A Hamas-affiliated party recently won elections at a university outside Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority. It's being taken as a sign of rising criticism of Palestinian leaders and institutions.

Less than three months before a deadline for an international agreement on Iran's nuclear program, questions remain about how the S-300 missiles deal will affect strategic calculations in Russia, Iran, the US, and Israel.

The already poor relationship between the Obama administration and the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looks set to get worse, with Iran nuclear talks nearing an important deadline at the end of the month.